2023 Offseason Discussion (moves, rumors, hopes & dreams!)

The Offense and Kirk Cousins are not the problem. Frankly, I don't expect his contract to be one either. Lamar will get the next big market-resetting deal. Kirk will extend for next year and 2024, and I bet it will be a fair price for a guy that played like a Top 10 QB this season.

The problem with the Offense is Boy Wonder. 5+ times a game my 78 year old father and myself call out what he's about to run and how poorly it will end. Inside handoffs. Terrible screens. Chunk throws on 3rd and 4th and short. Futile runs up the gut behind guys who were drafted for a different scheme. An inability to make in-game adjustments until the 4th Quarter, if at all.

This is a Top 5 Offense when properly coordinated. Kevin either needs to hand OC duties to someone else or get a mentor. An Offensive minded former HC that can serve in an advisory capacity. He's too stubborn and too predictable.

I'm going to assume that Kwesi makes sure something happens in terms of getting O'Connell to see that he's got some blind spots that he isn't aware of.

You don't rebuild when you have a Top 5 Unit, especially when it's on Offense. Which means you don't trade the aging but inarguably still viable QB or the future HOF WR. And as has been pointed out already, they don't have the Draft Capital to move up to get a new QB in what has become a thinner Class than analysts thought. Richardson is a complete dart throw. Pass. The Class of '24 will have more realistic options.

So that leaves Defense and Special Teams. I'm cleaning house as far as the Coaching. I saw zero development in the Secondary, ILBs or D-Line all year. Took forever for Asamoah to get snaps. Cine never did. Hunter wasn't comfortable for half the year. Plenty of Teams use the Fangio Defense. Either Dolorous Ed and his Assistant Coaches couldn't teach it or they overly complicated it in terms of verbiage or assignments.

I don't think it's any kind of significant leap of logic to say it was the teaching, not the verbiage or assignments. They ran the same damn play snap after snap after snap for 13 weeks with virtually no changes. Ergo, they suck at teaching the system.

Special Teams coverage was undisciplined. Joseph was awful. Fire the guy running it.

As for the Roster, I'm in favor of keeping Harry. He's still an effective blitzer and can still read Offenses and make sure what will likely be an even younger Secondary gets properly lined up. Bynum should be Special Teams and depth only.

I'm not keeping anyone else. Peterson couldn't cover some dude nobody had ever heard of before the first Giants game and sure as heck didn't look any better the second time ar. And he's not part of the future of the Defense. Frankly, he's benefited from how bad the other CBs are the last 2 years. Why target a wily future HOFer when you can go after the worst Slot CB in the League or a bunch of inconsistent kids?

Take that money and get someone younger with some upside. There are several available that won't cost too much more. I'm on the fence with Shelley.

On the Front 7 if you move on from Z than Minnesota almost has to use their first pick on Edge. I hate getting boxed into a corner like that. It's about time they invest a high pick on a pass rusher for sure. Maybe that and an old-timer ala Ingram or JPP et al in a rotation.

Upgrading from Kendricks and Hicks is a must. There are a number of affordable options that will be available in Free Agency to pair with Asamoah. ILB, CB1 and Center are major areas to target. And Kwesi will absolutely be able to afford some signings with Peterson, Kendricks, Hicks, Z, Cook, Ham, Irv and maybe even Thielen gone.

Heck, there are even upgrades over Tomlinson out there that can provide more interior pass rushing juice, though they will likely be pricey.

Replacing failed playcallers and an entire Defensive Staff of poor teachers will help. Turning over half of the Defensive Starters, several of whom are north of 30, will also help. Yes, the schedule looks harder now. But that's a static take. Many of the opponents will be making as many changes as the Vikings will, with varying degrees of success.

10-11 wins and get a win or 2 in the Playoffs. Which sets the Team up to Draft the QBOTF in 2024. That QB will sit for a year behind Kirk's last season while Kwesi gets a second year to continue overhauling the Defense. And then a longer window should open in 2025.

Frankly, if they had torn the whole thing down last year that was probably still the next viable time a window would open again anyway. While your young players are learning what it feels like to be perpetual losers. That mindset is hard for coaches to overcome and why organizations such as the Lions, Jags and Jets suck for such long periods of time. It takes getting the right HC with the right Draft Picks at the right time to break that cycle.

Or you can stay competitive. Make the Playoffs. Instill a winning culture and mindset while also rebuilding. Both approaches work. That's just a fact. What we don't know as fans is if Kwesi and Kevin are the right guys to steer the competitive rebuild instead of the total rebuild.

We've got some information already. We're about to get a LOT more. This will be a very interesting Offseason.